Evening Rituals
by JMcKay
Summary: Tony hasn't had a full nights rest in months. Bruce introduces him to some home remedies to help. Pre-slash. Rating may change with further chapters.
1. Tea and Candles

_**Author's Notes: **My brother-in-law and his fiancé do this "evening" ritual of tea and candles that helps them get to sleep. It inspired me to write up a little Tony/Bruce fic. Nothing major. May be read as just friendship with innuendo humour, or pre-slash beginnings. May continue as series of one-shots, or may continue as a complete story depending on what everyone wants._

_**Disclaimer: **Avengers belong to Marvel._

* * *

Tony Stark never had problems sleeping. Or rather, he never suffered from sleep apnea or nightmares. It wasn't to say he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night and stay awake for hours on end. It just wasn't due to what "normal" people suffered from.

In fact it generally was just due to his overactive genius mind that kept nagging him to finish the next prototype for the Iron Man suit. Or trying to break into more of S.H.I.E.L.D's security systems involving more assignments for the Avenger team, that kept him up.

Though he never woke from the middle of some night terror, or jolted to his senses from some past gruesome event that played through his head, his constant late nighters wore down on his nerves. What little energy he had left seemed to deplete almost instantaneous as the days continued on.

So when Bruce Banner had finally moved into the now almost fully occupied and new and improved Avenger's Tower, it didn't take long for the near run down Iron Man to notice certain aspects of his science nerd companion that triggered his curiosity.

On one of his many nights from waking up, thoughts teeming with ideas for new hand blasters, Tony haphazardly tossed on some sweats and a Black Sabbath t-shirt and made his way down to the kitchen. He already knew he wouldn't be getting to bed anytime soon, so figured a late night coffee would do him some good for the hours to come.

As he made his way into the large spanse of the kitchen, he noticed he too wasn't the only one out of bed at such late hours of the night.

"I see I'm not the only one on a late night adventure." Tony said as he rounded the corner of the island.

Bruce was sitting at one of the stools dunking something into a cup placed in front of him. "You have many late night adventures." Banner stated rather than asked.

"Eh, I like to think it's because I'm too awesome for something as trivial as sleep."

Bruce chuckled and blew on the contents of his cup. Upon closer inspection Tony noticed it was tea.

"Never took you for the tea drinking type." He commented as he grabbed a mug for himself from one of the cupboards.

"I get that a lot, surprisingly." Bruce watched Tony through some of his hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. "But you know, Stark, this isn't exactly a late night out."

Tony turned and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Banner only smirked as he pointed to the clock behind Stark.

"Oh...is it really only 10? I thought it was more around 4." He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged.

"That generally when you wake up? Or is it always sporadic?" Bruce pulled the tea bag out of his cup and took a tentative sip.

"Sporadic. Again, have you always drunk tea?" Tony leaned back against the counter and tapped his fingers against the surface.

"Don't think I don't know you're trying to change the subject. And yes, I've always had a cup of tea at night."

"Me change the subject? Absurd. Has it always been just at night?" Tony hurried along mid sentence.

"_Tony_." Bruce warned. Though it wasn't too convincing with his smile and quiet chuckle.

"Bruce. This is a serious conversation. Why tea?" Tony pretended to be interested in some imaginary spot on his hand.

"Do you have something against tea?" Banner tried not to smile again as he took another sip.

Stark held up his hands. "Nope, not a thing. Just curious. I just figured with the whole doctor-science-nerd aspect, you'd be having coffee to help keep you up et cetera."

"Actually it's _because_ of all those things that I drink tea. And yes, only at night. It's kind of a part of an evening ritual." He set his cup down on the counter and looked Tony in the eye.

Tony raised an eyebrow, already more intrigued. "An evening ritual? Does that include some mantra to some Tibetan lord or something? Please tell me you're not into that freakish head to the floor praying kind of ritual.."

This time Bruce didn't even try to contain his laughter. "Seriously? Do I peg you as the praying type?" He shook his head, "No I'm not into anything like that."

"Then what is it?" It was obvious that Tony wouldn't stop until he knew the full story.

"How about instead of telling you, I show you?" Bruce held out his tea for Tony, "But first you need to drink this. I poured too much for myself anyway."

Stark looked at the cup questioningly, not quite sure if he should follow through with Banner's offer. Though, deep down, he knew he'd agree. His curious mind wouldn't let him rest until he solved another puzzle for the night. He took the tea and swirled it around in the cup, seeing a few specks floating around the bottom. Most likely tiny tea leaves that had escaped the confinements of the tea bag earlier.

"If you make me do any chanting, I'm leaving." Tony gulped down the drink, eager to move on.

The stool squeaked on the floor as Bruce stood to leave. He motioned for Tony to follow him and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He heard shuffling and the clink of the cup being set down a bit too fast as Tony scrambled to catch up with him.

"So where you taking me chief?" Tony asked as the rounded the corner down one of the many hallways.

The response he got wasn't quite a response at all. Just a shrug and a few incoherent murmurs from the man in front of him. As they turned down another hall, Tony vaguely remembered helping Bruce move the few belongings he had into one of the rooms on that floor.

"If anyone asks, I'm helping you with something science related and not going to your room to do some chanting thing."

"I told you there isn't any chanting." Banner shook his head and opened the door to his room. He gestured for Stark to enter before him.

When he stepped inside, he was surprised that he was surprised. He figured that Bruce's room would be dull and simple, but he hadn't expected just to see a bed in the middle of the room and nothing else. No indication that anyone actually lived there. Had it not been for the sheets, comforter, and pillows, Tony would have guessed it was just another vacant room in the tower.

He whistled, "Wow Banner, what happened to all that stuff we helped move in for you?"

"You're looking at it. You only helped with the mattress. It wasn't even mine actually, if you remember. Steve got it for me after he found out I was sleeping on just a roll out mattress. You helped pitch in for the extras." Bruce shrugged and looked away. "Come over here." He walked further into the room and slid two yoga mats out from under the bed. "Sit." He commanded.

Tony did as he said, not sure if he should cross his legs or just stick them out in front of him. He went with the latter. "Ok, what next guru?"

"Close your eyes and be quiet." Bruce said in a hushed voice and dimmed the lights.

"Oh Banner, you're such a romantic." Tony rolled his eyes and snorted. "You better not try anything funny.." He warned as he hesitantly closed his eyes.

There were a few scuffling noises, the sound of a match striking, and then the scent of something sweet. Tony peeked an eye open and saw Bruce setting a candle in front of him as he sat down. There were a few other candles that had been placed around the room as well, creating a small circle around them.

"Hey, no cheating! I said close your eyes." Banner caught Tony's eye and raised both eyebrows as he smirked.

At that Tony opened both eyes completely and looked around at the candles. "Seriously? You can't expect me to keep them closed with all this." He motioned with both hands around the room.

Banner ignored him and leaned forward as he forced Tony's eyes closed. Stark pulled back instinctively, but eventually allowed the other man to close his eyes for him.

"I also said to be quiet. Now do you want to see the rest or not?"

"Well I can't exactly _see_ the rest with my eyes closed now can I."

"Touché. Now shut up." Amusement laced his voice as Bruce crossed his legs. He picked up the candle, holding it up between the two of them. "These are from a shrine I went to in Thailand. Supposedly they're supposed to keep evil spirits at bay." He heard Tony snicker silently to himself but chose to ignore it. "It's also said, that if you inhale enough of the scent, that you'll forever be at peace, physically, mentally, and spiritually."

"Uh huh..." Tony sounded skeptical.

"At the time, when I was there, it sounded potentially useful with my..condition." Bruce admitted.

"Did it work?" Tony asked, eyebrows knitting together as though trying to figure out a large equation.

"Not really." Bruce laughed and set the candle back down.

Tony opened his eyes back up and shook his head as he tried not to laugh. "Alright, I guess I'll leave you to your chanting."

"Not chanting."

"Right, anyway, I've got lots to do tonight." Tony went to stand but found his vision was getting warped. Almost as though he were drunk. "Woah. Ok Banner, what's in these things?" Tony blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

"You alright, how's your head?" Bruce ignored the question. "It's a little strong the first time. Don't stand up too fast."

"What do you mean? Is this like some LSD thing? What was in that tea?" Tony tried to move his legs, but found they were locked in place. As though his body was being put in shutdown and he had no control over it. The thought made him more anxious. "Bruce?" When he looked up at the other man he could see black spots beginning to cloud the rest of his vision. He tried to push himself up with his arms, but felt himself wobble in place.

"Easy there, big guy!" Bruce leapt forward to catch the near falling Tony. He moved the candle out of the way and helped the other man to his feet. Both his legs were like jelly. Tony blinked again, tried to push back, but found that if he did he would drop like a brick to the floor. His entire body was beginning to get more heavy.

"What the hell is going on?" He mumbled out as he balled his fists into Bruce's shirt, trying to steady himself.

"Just come over this way."

Tony could feel himself being half led, half dragged, someplace else in the room. The strong presence of the other man suddenly vanished and he felt himself falling backwards. Instinctively he reached out in front of him and grabbed hold of the first thing he got ahold of.

He felt the hard smack of another body on top, and the plush softness of the mattress and comforter below him.

"Tony? You ok?" Bruce's voice was directly in his ear. Tony blinked tiredly, feeling the rest of his energy being sucked out of him as he tried to focus on the man on top of him.

He tried to say something, in fact he was certain he did, but he couldn't hear anything else after that.

Tony's vision swirled and turned black all at once, leaving him with a fuzzy picture of Bruce looking down at him as the last thing he remembered as he lost consciousness.

* * *

He wasn't sure what time it was, or even what day. It felt as though he'd been sleeping forever. The only thing he could focus on was the fuzzy feeling in his head and heaviness in his body. Tony tried to move, but found his muscles felt like they were being weighed down by invisible chains. As he sat up, images of candles, tea, and Bruce swam through his mind.

"Nice hair." He heard Banner's voice from the foot of the bed. Tony blinked away the sleep in his eyes and was able to make out the other man sitting cross legged in some meditation position.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Stark rubbed his eyes and slumped forward a bit. He didn't care that his statement could be taken as an innuendo.

"_I_ did nothing. _You_ took part in everything." Bruce closed his eyes and went back to his meditating. "Though if it bothers you that much, it was just a bit of chamomile tea and some lavender candles."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, then how come I couldn't move or focus on anything? And didn't you say they were from some shrine?"

He looked up again when he didn't get an immediate response. Bruce was giving him a look that said _I can read you like an open book, Stark. _

"What?" He averted his gaze and twiddled his thumbs.

"When was the last time you got a full night's rest?" Bruce stood up and walked over to the side of the bed.

Tony thought about the question, realizing it'd been months since he last got more than just 2 or 3 hours of sleep. Of course his ego wouldn't admit that it was because of his lack of sleep that he'd practically fallen unconscious in the arms of the man now sitting beside him. "So? What's your point?" He wouldn't meet his eyes.

"What's my point?" Bruce snorted. "Tony, your body is running on empty. Those late nights staying up at all hours are using up what little energy you have left. And I'm not the only one who notices. Your arguments with Steve are getting less witty and your jabs at Fury are half assed at best." He chuckled as he thought back to when Tony had called him a space pirate.

"It's not a problem. It's not like I suffer from nightmares or anything." Tony countered.

"Yeah, trust me I know. It's because of this." Bruce tapped his finger against Tony's head. "You may be a genius, but you're really stupid when it comes to taking care of yourself. I was just helping speed up the process of getting you to bed." He stood up and allowed room for the other man to get out of bed as well.

"Let me guess, Pepper told you to help out?" Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his arms, earning a few more pops throughout his body.

Bruce bobbed his head slightly from side to side, as though nodding and shaking it at the same time. "Sort of. I was the one that brought it up, she just asked if I knew anything that could help."

"You 'observe' me that much do you?" Tony winked.

Bruce shook his head and smirked. "Be careful of that ego of your's Stark. It may just come back and bite you in the ass some day."

"Is that a promise?" Tony waggled his eyebrows as he stood and went to exit the room.

"Maybe. Don't forget to fix that sex hair of yours." Bruce laughed as he shut the door behind Tony. Stark went to walk away when he heard the door open up again, "I expect to see you back here tonight for the second part of the lesson."

Tony gave him a mock salute and tried not to laugh when he saw Steve walk down the hall towards him, looking at his hair and then back to Banner's door, before shaking his head and turning on his heel to go back the way he started.

"Is there gonna be weird chanting?"

"No. Unless if you start saying my name over and over again like you did last night."

Tony blinked twice, this time not able to laugh when Natasha and Clint walked by, eyeing the two scientists oddly. He felt his cheeks heat up and murmured something along the lines of _stupid ego_, and walked in the opposite direction from which everyone else was headed.

He could still hear Bruce's laughter as he entered one of the elevators and was several floors below him.


	2. Jasmine, Yoga, and Incense

_**Author's Note:** Alright, I don't have internet, so please be patient as I post these on my days off/when I get a chance to borrow the internet at Starbucks!_

_**Disclaimer:** Avengers belongs to Marvel._

* * *

True to his word, Tony showed up at Bruce's door at 10pm the proceeding night. He wouldn't admit it, but he wouldn't mind getting a better grip on his sleeping habits. So with hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, leaning back on the balls of his feet, he waited for who he now called his sleep-stress-free-with-no-chanting-mentor. He denied any accusations of ever saying Banner's name over and over in his sleep.

"Hey Banner, we doing this or what?" Tony knocked on his door and winked down at the Captain as he once again walked down the hall at the wrong time.

"I don't even want to know." Steve mumbled as he tried to hurry past again.

"Come on Brucey boy, we might just be able to convince Steve to join us." He said with a slight nod to the extremely uncomfortable Captain America. He tried not to laugh when Bruce opened the door looking disheveled as ever and poking his head out just in time to get a wide eyed deer look from Steve.

"Seriously, Bruce, do you plan these things on purpose? Or is your timing just _that_ terrible?" Stark shook his head, but made no move to try and hide his smile.

"You mean perfect timing, right?" Bruce aligned his glasses and smirked.

"No, no. Terrible. It _would_ be perfect, had you not used it to make me the new laughing stock of the tower." Tony stepped out of the way to let Bruce exit his room.

"Oh, you do that without anyone's help." Bruce laughed and closed the door behind him.

Tony ignored his comment, "Do you have any idea how many times Romanov and the Hawk kept asking..how'd they put it? Oh right, 'when I became the Hulk's bitch.' And that was in less than 24 hours."

Bruce scrunched his nose, "Not much originality, but it'll do."

"Hey! I'm serious, I have a reputation to uphold!"

"Wouldn't it just add to that reputation? You _are_ a billionaire-playboy, right?" Bruce quirked an eyebrow and smirked as they made their way back into the kitchen.

"Don't forget philanthropist." Tony pointed his finger.

"Ah, right...almost forgot." Banner shook his head. He walked over to one of the cabinets, pulling out two tea pots. "Which do you want? Loose leaf, or bag?"

"If that's your version of a pick up line, it's the worst I've ever heard." Tony hopped up onto one of the stools. "Let's go old school."

"Loose leaf it is." Bruce placed the cast iron pot on the counter and retrieved two matching cups about the size of a shot glass. He opened another cabinet and pulled out a small tin container. "How much do you want? I can make just a few cups or would you like more?"

"I still can't believe you have me drinking tea..." Tony mumbled. "Do whatever you think works best."

"I'll go easy on you this time." The ruffled scientist scooped up a couple spoonfuls of the loose leaf and placed it in a small strainer that fit at the top of the pot. "Hope you're alright with Jasmine tea this time."

"Thought that smelled familiar.." Stark pursed his lips and sniffed slightly. "Only if you don't use those weird candles again tonight."

Bruce didn't reply, just went over to the stove and placed a small pot full of water on to boil. He walked over and sat to the left of Tony. The two sat in silence for a little while. Of course, silence being Tony rhythmically tapping his fingers against the counter and Bruce joining in every now and then.

"Ok I'll be honest." Bruce said after a couple minutes. "I may have added a few...extra ingredients to the tea last night." He scratched the back of side of his head, not meeting Tony's eyes.

"LSD?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "No. I guess you can call it a weaker form of a tranquilizer? Nothing lethal, obviously, but just a drop enough to get you to pass out. It was a little homemade thing I've been somewhat working on."

Tony's mouth hung open as he tried to process the information. "Wait. What?"

"If you prefer to think of it as sleeping syrup, like for colds." Banner chanced a sideways glance over at Tony and tried not to laugh at his contorted face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it."

"Jesus, Banner, I never took you for the drug and force to bed type." Stark shook his head and chuckled.

Bruce got up to get the boiling water for the tea. "There are lots of things you'd be surprised about, Tony." He poured the water into the tea pot, the new aroma of Jasmine filling the air.

"You're not putting any of that in there _now_ are you?" Tony eyed him cautiously.

"No, I promise I'm not. Just plain old tea. You can see for yourself if you'd like." He held out the contents for Tony to see. "This'll take a few minutes to steep, wanna just take it back to the room?"

"Yeah, sure." Tony shrugged and stood up. He grabbed the little cups while Bruce took the tea pot.

Back in Bruce's room they set up everything like it'd been the night before. The yoga mats on the floor at the edge of the bed, and the two sitting facing each other.

Tony eventually lied down and tucked his arms under his head as a pillow. He stared up at the ceiling, making shapes and other symbols out of the texture. "Hey turn the lights off real quick."

"Why..?" Bruce asked cautiously and gave him a wary look.

"Just do it. There's something I want to try out. I need the lights off to do it."

Bruce eyed Tony suspiciously before getting up and flicking the light switch off. The only light came from the arc reactor on Tony's chest. Bruce could just make out the outline of Tony as he sat up and started pulling his shirt off.

"Uh, what are you doing exactly?"

Stark ignored him and lay back down. He started moving his fingers in front of the arc reactor, and looked back up at the ceiling eagerly. "Check it out! I can do shadow puppets!" He started making his hands resemble a barking dog, a dove, and a turtle. "You'd think I wouldn't noticed this sooner." Tony said amused.

The lights turned back on and Banner shook his head slightly. "You're such a child sometimes."

"Yeah, and children make the greatest geniuses. You're just jealous you can'd do it too." Stark said stubbornly.

"I think the tea is finished steeping." Bruce changed subjects, noticing that Tony wasn't going to be putting his shirt on anytime soon.

"So do you actually use these other than for just sitting on?" Tony referred to the mats.

"Actually I was going to show you a few yoga techniques tonight. After the tea." He delicately poured the jasmine into both cups. "Careful, the cast iron gets really hot."

"Ouch! I can see that!" Tony pulled his hand back and shook it out before reaching for his tea again.

The two scientists sat in a comfortable silence as they sipped their tea. Tony could feel a fuzzy cloud fill his head just slightly. The smell of the jasmine reminded him of the candles. The candles reminded him of the sudden drowsiness he'd felt. And that reminded his body and mind of how amazing it'd felt to sleep so deeply.

"You sure you didn't sneak any Mojo shit in here?"

"Mojo?" Bruce snorted.

"I dunno, it just fit." Tony shrugged.

"No I didn't. Scouts honour." He crossed his heart. "You gonna put your shirt back on?"

"Why? Is this distracting?" Tony posed like a male runway model and pretended to flip his hair.

Banner started choking on his drink.

"Or how about this?" Tony pretended to be a cat and clawed at the air while growling.

"Knock it off!" Bruce laughed and tossed a random shirt at Tony. It effectively got stuck on his head.

"This isn't even mine." Stark mock complained and took it off to 'glare' at Bruce. "I'm confiscating this for your sudden but inevitable betrayal." He shook the shirt out and held it up to look more closely at. "Hm, you know I never took you for the casual shirt kind of guy. You always wear your button up shirts everywhere."

Banner shrugged. "Sometimes it's nice not to deal with all the buttons."

Stark sat more upright and started putting it on. The fabric fit a little snug over the arc reactor, but seemed to fit nicely over everything else. "Not bad." He commented offhandedly.

"Well, at least you're wearing some form of clothing. Bruce rolled his eyes and smiled. He poured them the rest of the tea, and put the pot off to the side. "I was actually going to wear that for the yoga, but I'll just grab a different one real quick." He went to stand but was stopped by Tony.

"Don't worry about it, man. I'll just give you this."

"Oh, ok." Bruce sat back down. "Thank—" A shirt hit him in the head. "—you..." It plopped into his lap and he looked up to see Tony still wearing _his_ t-shirt.

"Oh. You didn't think I meant _your_ shirt, did you?" Stark smirked. "Because I thought I was clear when I said it was confiscated." He batted his eyes in mock innocence.

"Of course." Bruce chuckled. He started unbuttoning his shirt, but then stopped. Suddenly feeling self conscious. "Uh." He didn't need to finish his sentence as Tony took the hint and closed his eyes and went back to lying on his back. "Thanks." Bruce mumbled.

"It's cool. Not everyone is graced with such good looks as me."

Bruce fought back a witty remark and just continued unbuttoning his shirt. He was just about finished when Tony interrupted.

"Then again..."

Bruce looked up to find Tony peeping at him through one eye. He quickly flung said piece of clothing over Tony's head and scrambled to pull the other man's shirt on.

Tony sat up laughing, "What?"

Bruce just shook his head and went on, trying to be serious. "We doing this or what?" He regretted his wording the moment he spoke.

"So forward, Dr. Banner." Tony pretended to growl again.

"Oh shut up, you know what I meant." Bruce hung his head in his hands briefly. Then he moved the two little cups off to the side where he'd placed the tea pot.

"Alright, alright." Tony sniggered. "What's the deal with this yoga? It's not all girly is it?"

"Always to the important questions." Bruce raised an eyebrow. "No, it's not. There are a few poses meant to help out with getting to sleep, that's all. No crouching tiger hidden dragon type of thing."

"Ok, so what do I need to do, Jedi Master?" Tony crossed his legs and sat up straight.

"Sit just like that, but drop your head down so your chin is almost on your chest." Banner dropped his head down to show Tony how. "Place your arms down here.." He leant forward and grabbed Tony's wrists to move them in place. "Almost like you'd be meditating, but a bit lower down."

"Like this?" Tony adjusted so he was more comfortable.

"Yeah, but you also want to keep your back straight." Bruce moved closer to Stark and placed a hand on his back and chest. "You want to keep the airway nice and open." He could feel the buzz of the arc reactor tingling his fingers. "Now just sit there for a few minutes, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth." Bruce felt the rise and fall of Tony's chest.

"You sound like one of those phony cassette recordings." Tony smirked. He kept his eyes closed.

"Would you rather listen to one of those?" Bruce quipped and went back over to his mat.

"Oh, god no. Those give me headaches." Tony cracked his neck momentarily. "You ever go to yoga classes in public? Or did you do all your Jedi training over in Thailand or Tibet or wherever?"

"Tony, you're meant to be quiet when doing these." Bruce said. "And yes, it was in Thailand."

"Ah, I see." Tony nodded and then focussed on his breathing.

Finally after a few minutes their breathing started to synch and the only sound could be the rhythmic inhale and exhale of the scientists.

Bruce was the one to break the silence first, "You don't mind if I light some incense do you? I generally have some burning when I'm doing yoga."

"As long as it's not candles, then go for it." Tony looked up and watched Bruce lean backwards to reach for one of his bags that was stuffed in the corner. He wasn't even looking where he was reaching, just feeling around in one of the side pouches for the incense. Bruce stuck his tongue out slightly in concentration.

"Gotcha!" Bruce said in triumph. He sat forward and set up the little stand before lighting the small incense stick. "One should do. It's not that big of a room." He commented.

Immediately a sweet overpowering smell filled Tony's nostrils. Though it wasn't the candles, he started to regret agreeing to the substance. His head already felt fuzzy, but with the added sense overload, his brain felt like it was about to go into overdrive.

Bruce noticed the hazy look in Tony's eyes, "It helps to do the deep breathing I was telling you about."

Tony did as he was told and started taking deep breaths in, and slowly exhaling. He closed his eyes again and set a steady rhythm for himself. The strong smell of the incense muddling his thoughts.

After what felt like several minutes, Tony peeked his eyes open slightly and noticed that it was much darker. He hadn't even heard Bruce get up to turn the lights off. He blinked a couple times before noticing that the room was sideways. He looked around, realizing that it wasn't the room that was sideways, but _he_ was lying down. He looked down and saw the remnants of the incense sitting next to him. He tried to sit up, but his body felt too heavy, and he could feel the tug of sleep at the back of his mind. Tony's eyes fluttered shut and he wasn't sure if he'd heard himself say Bruce's name, or if it was a part of some dream.

* * *

The next morning Tony's body felt less heavy, and his head was starting to feel less foggy. He rolled onto his back and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before sitting up. He didn't know what time it was, but from the small tray of food set on the floor next to him, Tony guessed it was early to mid-morning. He heard the shower in the bathroom connected to Bruce's room and wondered how long he'd been sleeping on the floor. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep until he'd briefly woken up.

Tony ate the food left for him, and then quickly folded the blanket and set both it and the pillow on the bed. He heard the shower turn off and tried to pad quickly but quietly to the door. He wasn't exactly looking forward to a little lecture about sleeping habits again. It was embarrassing enough to have fallen asleep that first time, it was more so to have done it again. Not to mention the "breakfast in bed" he'd received.

Tony ducked out into the hallway just in time to hear the doorknob to the adjacent bathroom start to jiggle. He closed the door behind him and made a beeline for his room.

"You two making this a regular occurrence or something?" The amusement wasn't hidden in Natasha's voice as Tony nearly bumped into her rounding the corner. "I knew you two were nerds together, but sneaking out after a little sleep over, _and_ wearing his shirt?" She smirked.

"I, uh. What?" Tony glanced down to see that he indeed _was_ still wearing Bruce's shirt. He'd forgotten he'd even put it on in the first place. "Just, uh, liked the style I guess." Tony left before giving Black Widow a chance to reply.

For the second time in 24 hours, Tony felt a blush spread across his face. And Bruce was once again the cause of it.


	3. Coffee and Marriage

_**Author's Notes: **No night time remedy this time, but more to come! Wanted to give Bruce a chance to get asked questions from the others. Tony needed a break from the teasing. Also, if you haven't seen the 2008 version of The Hulk, Betty is a character from there. Not a random OC. Just saying._

_**Disclaimer:** Avengers belongs to Marvel._

* * *

A week later, and with the help from Bruce, Tony's sleeping patterns were finally starting to get into a normal rhythm. He was waking up in the middle of the night less often, though the occasional bathroom needs would arise, and he was starting to function better during the day.

The teasing from Natasha and Clint had died down, of course they still had a few witty remarks whenever he looked disheveled. Other than that, things started to get back into a normal routine.

Bruce was even thinking that Tony would soon be able to get to sleep and stay asleep without anymore help.

"Give your body another week to get used to everything, and I think you'll be good to go. Won't be needing my help, hopefully." Bruce had commented while working in the lab with Tony. "Of course, that's still a week of vigorous tea drinking and meditating." He added in quickly.

The fact that he was being serious made Stark laugh. "Sounds intimidating."

"It should. I'm the Hulk after all." Bruce adjusted his glasses all nerd like.

"No, you're Bruce Banner. Geek scientist with anger management problems." Tony raised an eyebrow.

"That's debatable." Bruce tried to sound serious through his smile.

"I'd love to hear that argument." Tony rolled his eyes and went back to tinkering with the arm of the Iron Man suit.

Bruce was about to comment back when JARVIS interrupted, "Excuse my interruption, but Dr. Banner, there's a call on line 1 for you. Shall I put it on speaker phone, or would you like to use the handheld?"

"Uh.." He looked over at Tony puzzled. He wasn't used to getting phone calls.

"Speaker phone is probably going to be the only way down here. I think I remember taking the handheld apart a few days ago." Tony shrugged when Bruce gave him an even more confused look. "What? I was doing an experiment..."

"Of course you were. Alright JARVIS, speaker phone is fine." Banner leant over his work station to get a closer look in his microscope. There was a slight pause before they could hear the muffled noise of a busy city street. Whoever was on the line was obviously in a phone booth that didn't block out all of the noise completely. "Uh, this is Dr. Banner." Bruce rushed out, feeling self conscious with Tony listening on the opposite side of the room.

"Bruce?" A female voice answered. "Is that really you?"

Banner's head shot up as he recognized instantly who was speaking. "...Betty?"

He could almost hear the smile on the other end of the phone. "Oh my god...it really is you!" He couldn't contain his own smile at hearing her excitement.

"How long has it been?" He leant backwards on one of the tables.

"About 4 years." She said.

Tony kept quiet on his side of the room, pretending not to be interested in the conversation. He'd glance up every so often to see what Bruce was doing and how he was holding up. Having read the files on everyone prior to the Avengers even getting together, he already knew everyone's complete backstory, including Bruce's involvement with his once girlfriend, Betty.

"It was hard to believe that the city had been attacked had I not been here when it happened. And when I saw you were here...well."

"You weren't near where any of the fighting happened, were you?" Bruce asked concerned.

"What? Oh, no. No I wasn't." Betty assured.

"Oh, ok. Good." Bruce bit his lip in concentration. "Glad you weren't...caught up in everything this time." He chose his words carefully.

An awkward silence filled the room, and even Tony felt out of place even though he was being as discreet and as quiet as possible. A few seconds, but what felt like minutes, went by before Bruce glanced back up at Tony.

It was clear he'd forgotten he was even in the room.

"Hey, uh, can we talk some other time? I'm...kind of working on something." Bruce rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor.

"Bruce, you're not still looking for a cure are you?" It was Betty's turn to sound concerned.

"I gave up on that. Just some stuff for Tony this time." He laughed nervously.

"Good. Well not _good_, good, but you know...I'm glad you're not..." She paused. "I'm glad you're not killing yourself over it again."

Bruce met Tony's eyes briefly before averting them again. "Yeah."

"Hey, before you hang up. I was wondering if you wanted to get together for some coffee, or lunch, or dinner. Something so we can get caught up." She said quickly.

Bruce thought about her offer. "I, uh...yeah. Yeah that'd be good." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, good, I was afraid you'd say no." Betty laughed. "Is, um...is today too soon? I mean if you're busy working then I understand. I'm just in the area. And, well, I just thought if you wanted.."

Banner rubbed his eyes and then readjusted his glasses. "Today is perfect. Does half an hour give you enough time?"

He imagined the big toothy grin she always gave him when she spoke, "It's more than enough. How does the coffee shop on 3rd sound?"

"Yeah that's fine. I'll see you then." Bruce smiled at the ground.

"See you." There was a rustling sound before the click of the phone hanging up.

Tony pretended to be working on something while Bruce continued to stand in the same spot. A serious look on his face told Tony not to disturb him.

The two didn't say anything for several minutes, before Bruce finally spoke up. "What do you say to someone you haven't seen or talked to in over 4 years, and the last time you saw them you almost killed them?"

Tony tried to lighten the mood, "Wouldn't know, big guy. I generally don't see a person the morning after, let alone 4 years later." He waggled his eyebrows.

Bruce half smiled before pushing himself off the desk and exiting the lab.

Tony felt like an ass.

* * *

Bruce fumbled with his glasses as he waited for the elevator. He was starting to have second thoughts about meeting up with Betty. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Natasha walk up beside him.

"What's with the nervous fidgeting, Banner?" She asked as she leaned up against the wall.

"Oh, uh. Nothing. Just thinking." He glanced up and forced a smile.

"Well careful with that thinking, you're about to break your glasses." Nat pointed down to the near bent spectacles.

"Right, thanks." Bruce mumbled. "So..." He looked down the hallway as though searching for someone.

"Geez, take a chill pill Bruce. I'm not here to interrogate you." Nat smiled and pushed herself off the wall so she could stand next to the scientist.

"Isn't that what you always do, though? Interrogate without the other person knowing." Bruce stated.

"Sometimes, and sometimes no." Natasha shrugged and tried to give Bruce a reassuring smile. "I tend to try not to interrogate my friends on a daily basis."

Bruce looked down at the floor and chuckled, "I'll take your word for it, then."

Bruce nearly jumped when the ding of the elevator announced its arrival. He waited for Natasha to enter before him, he figured she wasn't going to let him ride the elevator in peace as it was. "After you." He said.

"You're too much of a gentleman."

"I try." He joked as he walked in behind her. He silently wished that the elevator would take a long time to get to ground level.

"So, where you headed anyway?" Nat asked nonchalantly, waiting to push any buttons in the elevator.

Bruce rubbed his eyes and slouched against the wall. "I don't even know.." He admitted. "Ground level, or whatever."

"Getting out for a little while?" Romanov didn't wait for a reply, "That's good. You always stay cooped up in that lab, or in your room. Some fresh air will do you some good." She looked over to see how Bruce would respond.

"Yeah, I guess." He continued to look down at the floor. The two were quiet for a few seconds before Bruce spoke up again, "I'm meeting up with a...with an old friend." He chose his words carefully. "We haven't seen each other in a few years, so we're going for some coffee." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Which coffee shop? If you don't mind me asking? I'm headed out to meet up with Clint, he went out earlier for a bit. If it's in the same direction I'm headed, I could use the company." Nat offered another smile as the elevator descended the last couple of floors.

"It's on 3rd." Bruce said as the doors opened to the main lobby of the tower.

"Exactly where I'm headed!" Romanov grabbed Bruce's arm, not wanting him to dismiss her offer or go back to his room and hide. She lead them out of the tower onto the busy street of the city.

"Uh, alright." Bruce stumbled as he tried to keep pace with the eccentric red head. He blushed at the awkward glances people were giving them. "I take it you're not going to let go of my arm?" He ventured.

"Nope."

"Ok." Bruce walked stiffly next to her, hoping not too many people were staring.

"So. This old friend of yours. What's she like?" Nat started the conversation and brought their walking speed down to a more comfortable pace.

"How'd you know she's a...well, a she?" Banner looked over.

"You wouldn't be so nervous if they weren't female." Nat smirked and waved to a little girl pointing at them. "I don't need my ways of interrogation to get that much."

"Right. Should've known that." Bruce shook his head and smiled awkwardly at a couple passing by. "I think this was a bad idea.."

"What? Going to meet up with this mystery woman? I think it's great that you're getting out."

"No, I meant you hanging onto my arm.." Bruce blushed. "People might get the wrong impression."

"Oh come on, Banner, loosen up. The only two, people are talking about, are you and Stark." Romanov laughed at the confused and embarrassed look that flashed across Bruce's face.

"Wait, what?" His voice cracked.

"Oh don't tell me you haven't noticed. The amount of time you two spend together screams that something else is going on. All hours of the day spent in the lab, and then all the late nights in your room." She waggled her eyebrows at him and laughed some more.

"But, there's nothing going on!" Bruce yanked his arm out of her grasp and held out his hands in mock defense. "I'm just helping him with his sleeping problems."

"Yeah, sounds like a great little cover story." Natasha noted the brighter shade of red that spread over the scientist's cheeks.

"It's not a cover story, it's the _truth_." He tried to defend.

"Alright, alright. So what if it is?" She grabbed his arm again and tried to lead him across one of the intersections before the light turned. "What happens when his so called 'sleeping problem'—"

"It _is_ a sleeping problem." Bruce cut in.

"Ok, ok." Romanov stopped them on the opposite side of the street and turned Banner so she could look at him properly. "So what happens when he's finally got over it and doesn't need your help anymore?"

Bruce searched her eyes for an answer. Not just for the surface of the question, but the deeper meaning she implied. "Everything goes back to normal." His brows furrowed together.

"Does it?" Natasha held his gaze for a few more seconds before turning and greeting the woman who had walked up to them. "Hi, I take it you're the 'old friend' Bruce was telling me about?"

"I hope he didn't say anything bad about me."

"Oh no, nothing but the good stuff." Nat lied. He hadn't said a word about Betty the entire walk over.

Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning and looking up, "Hello, Betty."

"Bruce, it's so good to see you!" The brunette rushed over to hug him.

"Yeah, you too." He muttered and stepped back to introduce the two. "Natasha, this is Betty. Betty, Natasha."

"Nice to meet you." Nat nodded and then looked over Betty's shoulder. "And _that's_ my ride, I'll see you back at the tower." Romanov waved and ran over to Clint on his motorcycle. She winked at Bruce one last time before hopping on.

"She's a part of your team, right?" Betty asked as they walked into the coffee shop.

"Yeah, the notorious Black Widow." Bruce smiled. "Not as deadly once you get to know her. Well...mostly."

The two went and ordered their drinks before finding a table off to the side.

"It's so strange seeing you. I keep thinking I'm dreaming." Betty said as she took a sip of her mocha.

"Same." Bruce said and looked down at the table. He wasn't sure what else to say. He folded his hands and set them in front of him, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Bruce, there's something I wanted to tell you." Betty looked down at Bruce's hands before placing her own over his. She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand to help calm him. "You're so tense.." She commented.

Bruce didn't say anything and looked out the window. Something felt off about the situation. It wasn't until he looked down at her hand did he finally realize. Thankfully she was the one to voice what was running through his head.

"Bruce, I'm married."

The last thing he remembered was the tight feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, and the loud ringing in his ears, before he blacked out.


	4. Equations and Doodles

_**Author's Note:** Ask and you shall receive! More Bruce/Tony lovins for ya! And before you ask, for story purposes I'm making it normal for people to black out while still going through daily tasks etc. In this case Bruce leaving the coffee shop and going back to the tower...just go with it!_

_Also I've gotten some reviews about my word choice for previous chapters and how it leaves a couple readers feeling uneasy. I'd just like to point out that I wasn't intentionally going for a story that hacks at other religions, and I apologize for any, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable-ness that it may have created. I was just thinking of some stereotypical things that others refer to "rituals" as being, and if it offended you then I apologize. I in no way view what other religions do as being "freakish" nor do I go around degrading them, and if it came across as though I do then I'd like to again apologize and like to remind you that it's also just a story and I'm not trying to cause any havoc while writing it. Anyway, back to the story at hand: HAVE ANOTHER CHAPTER! :-D _

_**Finally, is there anything you've been wanting to see happen in the story? Or any goofy situations that you think would be fun to put these two in? I'm always open for opinions and I love to see what you all have in mind to make this story more interesting!**_

_**Disclaimer: **Avengers belongs to Marvel._

* * *

Bruce squinted as he opened his eyes, there was a bright light off to the side that made it hard to focus on anything. He sat up, noting that he was in a bed but not _his_ bed. He realized that the light was coming from a lamp on a desk at the other side of the room.

"And the beast awakens." He recognized Tony's voice immediately.

"Where am I?" Bruce asked and rubbed his eyes. He looked down and realized he was in some pajamas, but didn't know how they got there.

"You, sir, are on the most comfortable bed known to mankind." Tony looked up from the desk, he had a pair of goggles pushed up on his forehead. "Also known as _my_ bed. We're in my room, big guy. And _you_ got the luxury of sleeping there, while I took the less comfy couch." He pointed with a screwdriver over to the side of the room where said sofa was located.

Bruce sighed, "Ugh, what happened? I don't remember a thing." He flopped back down on the bed. Tony wasn't lying about it being extremely comfortable.

"Seriously? None of it? Were you on something yesterday?" Tony asked and went back to his work.

"Not that I know of." Bruce said in a monotone voice. "You shouldn't work in your room." He commented. "It tricks your brain into thinking it's a workplace, so when you get to sleep...well, then you _can't_ get to sleep." He explained.

"That's nice." Tony replied, clearly not paying attention. "So you really don't remember anything?"

"..No." Bruce covered his face with his arm. "Last thing I remember, is walking with Natasha and meeting up with Betty." He tensed and felt his stomach tighten again.

Tony noticed the change in Bruce and looked up, "And?"

"And nothing. That's all." He lied and rolled over. The sheets were soft and silky against his fingertips.

"..Uh huh." Tony didn't believe him but went with it. "Well, you weren't gone that long. I think you came back after being gone for only 15 or 20 minutes."

Bruce felt anxious waiting to hear what else had happened. "_And_?" He asked impatiently.

"And that's all I know. I was in the lab and JARVIS told me you were back. You didn't come down or anything so figured you were off doing your own thing." He paused to tighten a few screws. "I went up for our usual meeting time and you weren't there. Checked your room and same thing." Tony tossed his screwdriver down on the table and pulled the goggles off his head. "I came back here and found you sleeping in my bed." He tapped his fingers against the desk. "_And_ wearing my clothes. Nice choice by the way." Tony added in.

Bruce lifted up the covers and realized he indeed was wearing Tony's notorious Black Sabbath t-shirt. The same one he'd worn the first night they started their little evening rituals together. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "I'm sorry." He mumbled through his fingers.

"It's cool, I haven't slept in my room in so long I'd forgotten what it looks like." Tony stood up and walked over to the couch. "Though it would have been nice to sleep in _my_ bed. Just saying." He sat down with an audible sigh.

"I've never had that happen before. Any time I black out is when I turn into the other guy." Bruce sat up again to look at Tony with wide eyes. "I _didn't_. Did I?"

"I think there'd be more damage than a pair of missing pajamas..You're good. Or, were. However you want to look at it." Tony shrugged.

Relief washed over Bruce's face, "Good." It was soon replaced by worry again. "Oh, no...Betty." He said quietly. That knotted feeling in his stomach returned.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tony was staring up at the ceiling with his arms spread out over the back of the couch.

"There _is_ no paradise, that's the thing." Bruce admitted and swung his legs over the bed. He stood up and started walking over to the couch.

"Come again?" Tony couldn't hide his interest. He scooted over to make room for Banner.

"She's married." Bruce plopped down on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling as well. "That's why she wanted to get together." He laughed and shook his head. "I don't blame her, though. I mean I dropped off the face of the Earth in her eyes."

Tony glanced over and stared at the side of Bruce's face. The scientist looked so worn out.

"I shouldn't have expected her to wait 4 years just for me." Bruce closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

Tony was never good when it came to talking about feelings, so he just kept quiet. He felt like he should do or say something, but nothing came to mind. Until suddenly, "Hey what about those stress relievers you were supposed to show me last night?"

"What? The usual tea and meditating?" Bruce opened his eyes and looked over at Tony. "It's nothing new. You already know what it is."

Tony looked back up at the ceiling and shrugged. "So? We missed a day, right? Might as well make up for it sometime. And didn't you say napping during the day helps too?"

"Well, yeah..but I just woke up." Bruce pointed out and raised an eyebrow.

"So what? Who said napping had to be during specific hours of the day?" Tony sat forward.

"I guess. What time is it anyway?"

"Don't know, don't care." Tony stood up and held out his hand for Bruce. "Get up lazy butt."

"Why? I'm just going to take a nap again." Bruce tried to hide his smile.

"Yeah, well I'm not good when it comes to making the tea. So if you don't want to accidentally be poisoned, then get your ass up." Tony reached out, again, impatiently.

"What kind of tea are _you_ making?" Bruce laughed and grabbed onto the offered hand. Tony yanked him up to his feet, nearly making him fall forward. Bruce held onto Tony's shirt to keep himself from falling on his face. "A little eager to have tea?" He laughed and stood up straight.

"Maybe." Tony winked and let go of Bruce.

When they walked into the kitchen, Natasha was just exiting with an apple in one hand. She gave the two a questioning look, but before she could say anything they both said in unison, "Shut up." And kept walking.

She just smirked and let the two be.

"Chamomile?" Bruce asked.

Tony nodded and hopped up onto one of the stools.

"I think you're just too lazy to make it yourself." Bruce mumbled but started boiling a pot of water for them anyway.

Tony shrugged. "I don't want to cramp your style, big guy."

"And making the tea yourself is cramping my style?" Bruce asked sarcastically.

"No. But it could be."

Bruce laughed and grabbed their usual mugs. He picked out two chamomile tea bags and set them in the cups, all that was left was for the water to finish boiling. Banner sat at his usual stool next to Tony and drew invisible symbols on the counter to pass the time.

Tony held his head up on one hand, elbow propped on the counter, and watched Bruce write out equations and other science symbols. He'd glance down every now and then to find Bruce concentrating on one of the more difficult equations he was working out in his head. It was in moments like these that Tony appreciated having a like mind to pass the time with.

Tony got the idea to use one of the holographic tablets he'd had built in to the counter to write out other equations for Bruce to solve. He remembered Pepper telling him it would be pointless to have said tablets installed in a place where "people would be eating and most certainly would _not_ be doing science related work." Tony was very pleased with himself for not listening to her.

He tapped his fingers twice and a small light blue hologram appeared and Tony wrote out a quick equation with his finger and passed it over for Bruce to solve.

Banner laughed and shook his head. Tony wasn't sure if it was because the equation was so simple, or if it was due to the fact that he'd joined in on his little game. Either way, he was glad to see the tiredness in Bruce start to disappear and be replaced by a sense of relaxation.

As their little equation solving game went on, Tony eventually made their workspace larger and expanded the screen to be a giant board lit up in front of them. They leaned back on their stools and would take turns writing. Every once in awhile they'd both reach up and accidentally brush hands or bump shoulders.

It got to the point where JARVIS would automatically start writing equations for them both to solve, and with each one they completed, they got more and more difficult. On one particular one, Tony looked over at Bruce, only to find him staring intently at the screen and biting his lip in concentration. He watched as Banner squinted every now and then, as though he were having a silent conversation with himself, and would knit his eyebrows together. Stark looked away quickly when Bruce licked his lips, suddenly feeling like he was intruding on something.

Tony looked at the screen and took in the symbols written down. He'd gotten caught up in staring that he realized he wasn't even looking at the problem in front of them. He saw Bruce's hand reach out and scribble down a few things before pausing. Bruce's head was tilted to the side, knowing that he was reading the equation wrong, but not quite sure where.

Without processing what he was doing, Tony reached out and grabbed Bruce's hand. He moved it to the equation and crossed out certain areas, showing Bruce that it was a trick question. Tony moved Bruce's hand back over and had him add to what his original thought process had been. Without letting go, he solved the equation for them.

It wasn't until the tea pot started whistling that he realized he was still holding Banner's hand, he let go quickly and cleared his throat. He stood up and walked around to pour the water into their cups. His stool squeaking across the floor. He brought them back over and set them both in front of them to let them steep.

Bruce felt the tightness in his stomach return. His hand tingling from where Tony had held it.

"Should we go back?" Tony interrupted his thoughts.

Bruce didn't look at him as he stood, "Yeah, sure."

They closed the screen and walked back to Tony's room quietly. It wasn't until they were behind the closed door before they spoke, "Where do you want to sit?" It was Bruce who asked.

"Uh, anywhere." Tony answered and scratched his neck.

"You don't have any yoga mats, do you?" Bruce asked and headed over to Tony's bed.

"Nope."

"We can just do it on the bed then." Bruce nearly dropped his mug when he registered what he'd said. "Uh, I didn't mean it like that!" He felt his face heat up.

The awkward tension of holding Bruce's hand, mixed with the innuendo of Banner's last statement made Tony start laughing.

"Shut up!" Bruce fought the urge to laugh as well and tried to keep himself from blushing more.

"I'm sorry, but it's just too perfect." Tony barely said through laughs.

At that Bruce couldn't help but join in. He had to set his tea down on the side table in fear of accidentally dropping it. He sat down on the bed and shook his head. "I really do have terrible timing."

"No, _that_ time it was perfect." Tony sat on the opposite side of the bed and crossed his legs. "Alright, so moving on. What're we doing this time?"

Banner leaned backwards, "I'm not gonna lie, it was nice doing those equations for a change." He laid down and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked up at Tony.

"I thought you said it wasn't good to work in my room?" Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"...We can make an exception, I'm sure." Bruce shrugged.

"Good enough for me." Tony set his tea down on the side table on his side of the bed. "Except I don't feel like getting up, so we can just have the screen here." He laid down, mirroring Bruce on the opposite side of the bed. "JARVIS project the screen over both of us." He instructed the AI. "Make it two, and mirror each other so no one has to try and read upside down." He added in.

Two screens appeared overhead with the same equation written on both.

"So they're both the same screen?" Bruce asked and tested out writing on his. He looked over at Tony's screen to find what he wrote appeared simultaneously on his.

"Yup." Tony answered and drew a smiley face.

Bruce snorted and added a mustache to it.

"Hey!" Tony objected and drew a new one.

"Are we going to work on the equations or what?" Bruce laughed and drew another mustache, then added on a top hat and monocle.

Without answering his question, Tony drew an angry face and swatted Bruce's hand away when he reached up to add the mustache again.

"Fine." Tony mumbled and wiped the screen clear.

The two lay in silence as they worked out the equations together. Helping out the other when they got stuck. Sometimes they'd time each other to see who could finish first, but they generally finished at the same time, so quickly dropped that game.

Bruce eventually got up to search for his glasses, and when he returned he found doodles all over the board and Tony smiling mischievously. He rolled his eyes and tried to wipe them clear before Tony instructed JARVIS to lock his screen.

"Hey that's not fair!" Bruce said and scooted backwards so he could write on Tony's screen. He flipped around so that he wasn't looking upside down at the drawings. His hand kept getting swatted away, and it quickly turned in to a fight to get to the screen first. He held Tony's arms down and would get a few scribbles added before Tony pushed him off and changed his doodles into a completely different image.

They filled the aread with pictures of dogs with top hats, to t-rex's with mustaches and monocles, and even emperor penguins riding UFOs.

"I think it's better than the Mona Lisa." Tony commented as he once again tried to slap Bruce's hand out of the way.

Bruce snorted but didn't push back. He was starting to get tired, and exerting his energy to fight back over a doodle was starting to sound too extraneous. He could feel sleep starting to pull at the back of his mind as he tried to focus on the blue light above him.

He watched as Tony started drawing a detailed stick figure version of the Avengers group all holding hands in front of the tower. Bruce laughed and watched him add colour to everything. He gave Steve an angry face, and Bruce felt the need to add one last top hat to the image. This time Tony didn't swat his hand away.

When he dropped his arm back down to the bed, he accidentally hit Tony's other hand that was lying at his side. Bruce quickly pulled his away. "Sorry." He muttered and placed it back down slowly, brushing their wrists together lightly.

Bruce felt the tightness return and spread up to his chest. He could feel his cheeks get hot.

Tony glanced over and watched as Bruce covered his eyes with his arm once more. He wasn't sure if he was trying to hide or just trying to block the light from the screen. He watched Bruce bite his lip, the way he had earlier in the kitchen when he was concentrating. Stark briefly wondered what was going through that head of his.

Tony felt an uneasiness in his stomach as he looked back up at the screen and realized he'd involuntarily drawn himself and Bruce holding hands. He could feel Banner's fingers drumming nervously on the bed, their wrists brushing up against each other with each movement. It didn't help to ease the uneasy knot beginning to form in the pit of his stomach.

Tony placed his hand over Bruce's to get him to stop fidgeting. The other man's body tensed up almost immediately, and he could have sworn he heard his breath hitch, but at the same time the finger tapping stopped. Tony went to pull his hand away, when Bruce reached back out to grab hold of his wrist. His fingers gently drifted over the back of Tony's hand, and started lightly drawing small symbols over it. Banner turned his head away with it still buried in his arm. His heart was pounding in his ears and he was glad that he no longer turned into the other guy due to an increased heart rate.

Whether it was minutes or hours that passed—in all honesty neither one could tell—the two continued to lay next to each other just barely holding hands, until they both drifted off to sleep.


	5. Magazines and Massages

_**Author's Notes:** OH DEAR LORD IT'S BEEN SO LONG! Alright, sorry about the wait! Here's an extra long chapter for your patience! I've been working 60+ hours these past weeks and have been exhausted D-: I also had the hardest time writing this chapter...I rewrote it about 3-4 times and it took me awhile to get to a conclusion I liked. Still open for suggestions on other situations to put them in! :-D Thank you all for such wonderful reviews! I PROMISE THE NEXT UPDATE WON'T TAKE A MONTH+ TO GET TO D-':_

_**Disclaimer:** Avengers belongs to Marvel._

* * *

A hazy feeling settled over Bruce as he woke up. He blinked a few times and let his eyes adjust. When he sat up he found the room empty, no trace of Tony to be found. Memories of what had happened began to swim in his mind and he groaned, piecing together the puzzle as to why the playboy philanthropist was missing in action.

Bruce lay in bed awhile, taking in the surroundings once more. He was greeted suddenly by JARVIS, "Good morning, sir. Mr. Stark wishes to inform you that he'll be continuing his work in the lab and does not want to be disturbed."

Bruce's foggy mind barely processed the words, "Continue his work? Wait, what time is it? I thought we only took a nap?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "How can it be morning." He sat up again and scratched his head.

"It's the following morning, Dr. Banner. You slept through the rest of the previous day and night." JARVIS informed.

"And Tony?" Bruce asked, finding himself holding his breath as he waited for the answer.

"Mr. Stark woke up of couple hours later and went to work in the lab. He was there the rest of the night, and informed me he'll be there the rest of today as well."

Banner scrunched his nose, "Great. So much for the sleep therapy, or whatever you want to call it."

JARVIS continued without replying to Bruce's statement. "He also wanted me to pass along a message asking you to not to go down to the lab today." The A.I. ended sounding matter-of-factly.

The knotted feeling returned to Bruce's stomach. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything further on the matter. When he looked back to the room, he suddenly felt alien, as though he'd just woken up in a strangers home. He quickly got himself out of bed, shuffled to the door and left without a single glance behind him.

* * *

Banner found himself doing what he usually would do when he couldn't work in the lab; systematically pacing and meditating in his room. A few times Natasha had knocked on his door to see if he was alright, but he'd ignored her and continued with his usual methods to calm himself.

He'd sometimes give himself small menial tasks to do whenever his thoughts strayed back to the playboy (which he'd found himself doing more often than he'd care to admit). Bruce kept himself busy by working on deep breathing exercises, to even organizing his sock drawer—on occasion his incense collection—in order to clear his mind.

10 times out of 10 he had to start over after about 3 minutes.

Bruce wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after his 8th time of reorganizing his socks—starting from brand and type and ending with colour—he'd decided it was time to find something _else_ to do.

Thankfully for Banner, Natasha was doing another one of her rounds, trying to coax him out of his den. "Banner, we're all in the living room about to watch the ball game on the big screen." She said as she knocked on the door. As though in tune with his thoughts, she added, "We even got Stark to come out and play for a little while."

The scientist tried to ignore the slight jump of his stomach. "What was that?" He asked a little too quickly. He was glad the door was closed, though he could sense the smirk he knew the ex-assassin was wearing.

"Tony is out watching the game too." Amusement laced her voice.

Bruce tried to play it off cool, "I meant _before_ that. Who's playing." He already knew that Romanov could tell he wasn't much into sports, and he mentally kicked himself for his slip up.

"Yankees versus Giants." She played into his half assed save.

Bruce counted to 3, trying to act like he was disinterested, "Mm...I don't know."

At that, Natasha decided to speed the process up and forced the door open. "Get your ass out here, Bruce. Quit being such an idiot." She marched over and yanked him out of his room by the cuff of his sleeve.

Banner didn't even try to protest to the fire in her eyes. He scrambled to keep up, tripping over his feet a couple of times in the process. "Alright, alright!" He tried to reason. "You can let go now!"

Romanov ignored him, guiding him around corners and down hallways until they eventually made it to the living room. She tossed him, a bit more forcibly than necessary, into the room for everyone to see. "Look what I dug out of the cave." Everyone but Tony looked up. Stark's attention was glued to the t.v. Which Bruce _didn't_ notice immediately. Of course not.

Natasha lessened the force on him and lightly pushed him towards the couch. It didn't take a genius to realize what her plan consisted of. The scientist's eyes narrowed in on the only open seat available. Right next to Tony.

"Uhh.." He barely managed out before he was once again shoved without consent. "Alright." He landed with a not so graceful thud on the couch next to Stark. Banner tried to distance himself without being too noticeable.

Unfortunately for him, fate was not on his side. "Scoot over, rover." Clint chimed in almost too perfectly in time with Bruce's thoughts, destroying any plans for escape.

"Sorry." The disheveled scientist mumbled. His knees bumped up against Tony's and his cheeks flared up within seconds. Bruce gulped. It was definitely going to be an interesting afternoon.

What felt like hours, but had merely been 15 minutes, passed by and Bruce realized that he was already in a hole too big for himself to climb out of. Thankfully, with the help of his deep breathing exercises, he was able to calm himself down briefly and look somewhat presentable to the others. He was certain that Nat and Clint were conspiring against him, and he was too embarrassed to look at Tony.

So when Natasha had squeezed herself in on the sofa next to Clint, Bruce was once again forced to scoot closer to Tony. Their thighs were pressed up against each other with no room to move whatsoever. Bruce was convinced that, if the Hulk didn't come out, he'd die from all the blood rushing to his head. If that was even possible. And Bruce figured that, with some ironic twist, it would happen.

He didn't know how much more he could take, so he stood up and tried to shuffle his way away from the couch. "Excuse me." He said to Clint, hoping the guy would show him some mercy and move his feet so Bruce could have a clear pathway. Clint just smirked and shrugged.

Apparently mercy was not his forte.

Bruce was left with two options; to awkwardly step over Clint and Natasha's legs—and most likely be tripped in the process, or to go the opposite direction and walk past Tony—which spoke for itself. He suddenly felt like everyone was staring at him, and chose the latter. Banner didn't look at Tony when he made his way past him, but he could feel his stare boring holes into him.

"Hey Banner, you going to the kitchen?" Natasha asked, forcing him to stop once he made it to the end of the couch.

"Uh, sure?" He answered and scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, if you are, can you refill my drink?" Steve chimed and held out his empty glass to Banner.

Bruce sighed and grabbed it, "Sure. What were you drinking again?"

"Just a coke." Steve said offhandedly and resumed watching the game.

Banner headed off to the kitchen, the sound of the others cheering and booing slowly dwindled down in the background. The sooner the game was over, the better.

Bruce didn't glance back in time to see Tony's eyes flicker in his direction.

It was when he was away from said Mr. Stark that Bruce decided to keep things between them strictly professional...or at least as professional as it would come for the two of them. Friends and only friends. Bruce told himself. He'd continue with the nightly rituals until Tony could get into his own routine and...

He paused mid thought.

And _what?_

Natasha had brought it up a few days prior, but it hadn't registered properly in that moment. After everything was said and done, exactly how _would_ things between him and Tony settle? What exactly was it that they had? Banner found himself contemplating those words as he finished refilling Steve's coke.

He could hear cheering echo down the hallway from the living room. Figuring it would be best to return quickly, Bruce turned around from the kitchen counter and collided into the man he'd been thinking about.

"Oof! Sorry!" He blurted out quickly upon noticing he'd spilled some of the drink onto Tony's arm. Bruce set the glass down and hurried to find a paper towel. His muddled mind suddenly couldn't remember where they were kept.

Tony chuckled at the sight, "Calm down, big guy, just a little soda." Stark was the first to get a towel. He started blotting at his sleeve. "Bird brain sent me in to see what was taking so long." Tony smirked. "You space out too much, Banner."

Bruce tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean? I wasn't gone long." He glanced at the clock. Maybe at most 3 minutes..?

Tony shrugged. "Personally I think Barton was just hoping you'd get back soon enough to refill his cup too."

It was then that Bruce noticed Tony was holding Clint's empty glass in his opposite hand.

"Thought I'd get it myself just to get him to shut up." Tony side stepped the scientist to get to the fridge. "Hey, you wanna ditch out and go to the store?" He asked over his shoulder. "The game's pretty dull, and we're in desperate need of some nachos."

Bruce tossed the idea back and forth. He was sure a quick trip to the store wouldn't interfere with his plans to tone down their...what was it again? Professional friendship?...It might even help get over the awkward evening of hand holding.

Sounded good enough.

"Sure." Bruce agreed and picked up Steve's coke again.

They dropped off the drinks and ducked out during a commercial break. Tony threw in a brief, "Nacho run." At the quirked eyebrow of one red headed Russian.

"Alright, I'm never sitting next to spangled spandex again!" Tony whined as they made their way to the elevators.

Bruce snorted. "It couldn't have been worse than Barton and Romanov...I think that speaks for itself." He mumbled.

"Oh I beg to differ. Rogers is just so...There's no word to describe how stuck up that guy is." Tony exaggerated by tossing his hands up in the air.

"He's not that bad, Stark. You just don't like authority." Bruce pointed out and smirked.

"Correction." He held up his finger, "I don't like authority that comes in the form of spangly spandex."

"Touche." Bruce nodded and laughed.

The dinging of the elevator announced its arrival yet again. "Hulks first." Tony stepped out of the way and motioned for Bruce to enter before him.

Banner rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"It's what I do." Tony winked.

A calming warmth bubbled in Bruce's stomach and spread throughout his body. He leaned up against the wall of the elevator, and smiled to himself.

"What?" Tony asked, noticing his grin.

"Nothing." Bruce shook his head and averted his gaze down to his feet, the smile never leaving his lips.

"As you say, smiles."

* * *

The actual trip to the store was fairly straightforward. The two maintained easy small talk during their ride over—though the car ride was a bit unnecessary as the nearest store was just a couple blocks down from the tower.

"Finding parking is going to be a hassle." Banner said as he looked out the window of the car. He didn't understand why Tony had elected they drive.

"Only if you're not awesome, which good thing for you, I happen to be _king_ of awesome." Tony boasted as he made a sharp turn.

Bruce glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow and smirk, "Alright, king of awesome. Whatever you say." He shook his head and resumed looking back out the window. "You just ran a red light."

"Red lights hold no power over the king of awesome."

"I think you've spent too much time with Thor." Bruce chuckled.

Tony waved off his comment and took a sharp turn into a nearby parking spot. "See! Found one!" He clucked his tongue in self approval.

"Uhh, I think this is a tow zone." Bruce looked up at a neighbouring 'no parking anytime' sign.

"We'll be fine. Look at everyone else parked around here." Tony gestured to the surrounding cars.

Bruce wasn't convinced but unbuckled his seatbelt anyway, "If you say so."

"I say. Now lets go find some decent ingredients for my famous Stark nachos!" He rubbed his hands together, then opened the door to get out. Bruce followed suit. "Though they're not really famous since this will be the first time I make them." Tony added in once they were outside of the car. He locked the doors and tucked the keys into his jeans pocket.

"Of course." Bruce wasn't surprised and began to follow Stark into the store. "We should grab a cart just in case."

"Nonsense." Tony said and walked past the shopping carts and baskets altogether.

Bruce sighed and grabbed one of the smaller ones as a back up. "I'm getting one anyway."

"You won't need it." Tony said in a mocking singsong voice.

"You'll thank me later." Bruce replied in the same tone and rolled his eyes.

Tony managed to prove Bruce right within 5 minutes of entering the store. Bruce had been idly eyeing a few items in the produce section, comparing prices of the organic grown to non, and had already lost sight of the billionaire Iron Man. "Tony, you don't mind if I get some papayas do you?" He asked, then realized he was talking to himself. "I'll take that as a yes." He smirked and grabbed a couple.

Bruce meandered around the corner towards the ethnic foods aisle, figuring Tony would have gone to pick up some other ingredients from the Mexican selections to go along with the nachos. He just managed to stop himself from running his cart into someone with an armful of items blocking their view, when he realized who said person was.

"You look ridiculous." Bruce tried to keep a straight face.

Tony turned sideways to look at him properly, he glanced down at the cart, "_You_ look ridiculous with your...whatever those are." He huffed.

"See, what'd I tell you." Bruce allowed a smug smirk to grace his features.

"Just shut up." A light blush coloured his cheeks. Other customers walking by gave him odd looks, a few shook their heads chuckling silently to themselves.

"Admit it, you should have grabbed one in the first place." Banner gloated as the other started unloading everything from his arms.

"_No_. I just didn't want you to look as ridiculous with your two fruit things."

"Alright, Tony, whatever you say." Bruce rolled his eyes smiling. "Did you get everything you need?"

"_Yes_." Tony replied annoyed. He grabbed the front of the cart and started pulling it in the direction of the check outs.

"Are you mad now?" Bruce asked after a couple of seconds of strained silence.

"...No." He turned away, though the blush from earlier had clearly spread to his ears as well.

Bruce let the silence continue on as they found their way to the front. Unfortunately everyone seemed to have chosen the exact time to pay for their items as well. Upon further inspection, it was clear as to why there was such a long line; only one cashier. He sighed and leaned forward onto the cart.

"This is going to take forever." Tony voiced his thoughts. He walked over to where the tabloids and other magazines were located. "Hmm.." He looked over the selections and picked out two that seemed most interesting. "Heads up." Tony called over to Banner as he tossed one to him.

Bruce fumbled with it, barely managing to catch it in time, and looked down at the front cover. "The Inside Story: Does Captain America Swing for the Other Team?" Bruce raised an eyebrow and looked back up to see a chuckling Stark.

"Hey check this out," Tony bounded over and shoved the tabloid he had in Bruce's face. "I didn't know you liked pink so much."

The scientist had to blink a couple of times before his brain registered what he was looking at; a very poorly photoshopped image of himself in very, very pink drag. "Where do people get the ideas for these things?" He glanced back up at Tony and found him immersed in the article about Steve.

"They at least got some of the story right." Stark looked back at Bruce with a mischievous smile. "He does look pretty flamboyant in that spangly outfit of his."

Bruce snorted and shook his head. The line moved up a bit farther, though not by much. It seemed as though everyone was buying in bulk.

Banner looked back down to the article about himself. He skimmed over the actual writing and mainly looked at the pictures, his nose wrinkled whenever he'd find a particularly odd photo manipulation. He didn't notice Tony move closer to peer over his shoulder, and jumped when Stark started speaking.

"You've gotta give them points for originality on that one." Tony's breath tickled Bruce's ear causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.

"I, um...I don't really know what's going on in the picture." Bruce tried to ignore the warmth that spread across his cheeks at Tony's closeness.

"Hey check it out, there's one about Bird Brains and Trigger Happy." Tony reached across to point it out, his arm brushed up against Bruce's chest in the process. The tight feeling returned, full force, in Bruce's chest, the breath caught in his throat, and he could feel every thud of his heart against his ribs. He swallowed hard and took a small steadying breath, willing his flush to cool down and his breathing to return to normal. Whether Tony noticed or not, Bruce wasn't sure, but he was doing a damn good job at keeping a straight face while his own was that of a tomato.

He felt Tony lean in closer, most likely to read more, but the soft pressure of a hand in between his shoulder blades and the warmth of Tony's chest pressed up against his shoulder was more than enough to send his mind into overdrive. Bruce was certain that had he been a cartoon character, steam would be coming out of his ears at that point.

As soon as the warmth was there, it was gone just as quickly. The line had moved up considerably and the people behind them were getting impatient. He blinked a couple of times before his feet registered the command to _move forward and catch up with Tony._

The rest of the time in the store was spent in silence as Stark continued to flip through other tabloids about hollywood celebrities, while Bruce tried his best to keep himself from staring at said man. Needless to say, it was much easier said than done, as he was caught red handed more than once.

When they finally made it to the check out stand, Banner was more than happy to get the show on the road. The young woman who was their cashier looked more than frazzled, "I'm sorry for the wait, I'm still new to all of this and my co-worker called out sick." She explained in a rush, mumbling something about how said co-worker was supposed to train her. Bruce noted the flush on her cheeks as well as some recently dried tear streaks.

"It's alright, take your time." He told her, and offered a smile. He started unloading the cart at a steady enough pace for the woman to keep up with. As he was setting down the papayas, some candy bars were thrown on in front of him. He raised an eyebrow and looked up at Tony, who had his face hidden behind a magazine. Bruce shook his head and placed the candies back on the shelf opposite them.

"Do you prefer paper, or plastic?"

"Paper, please." Bruce said as more candy was tossed in front of him again. He glared down at the sweets and then back up at Tony who was again engulfed in his "reading." Banner once again went to put them back but was stopped by Stark.

"Hey, I wanna get those."

"You said only ingredients for nachos." Bruce gave him an incredulous look.

"Says the guy who's buying weird melon things."

"They're papayas, and I happen to want to eat them _with_ the nachos."

"What? Am I not allowed to buy stuff that's not on the list?" Tony plucked the candy out of Bruce's fingers and handed it to the cashier. He winked and flashed his way too flirtatious smile, "Add these too."

Bruce sighed, "Alright, well just don't complain when you can't get to sleep tonight 'cause you're up on a sugar rush."

"Oh I won't be complaining," He directed his smile at Bruce that time and winked, "And neither will you."

The scientist's eyes widened and he blushed a considerable shade of red. He looked to the cashier, who also looked a bit flushed—most likely from being new to the job still and most certainly _not_ at that comment. "He didn't mean that." Bruce tried to explain.

She gave him a small smile, "It's ok," she said and finished bagging the remaining items. Bruce noticeably relaxed at her words. "My best friend is openly gay, like _very_ much, so I've heard worse, trust me." She chuckled.

It was as though all eyes in the room were on him at that point, and the flustered scientist wanted nothing more than to run out and back to the tower. He could hear Tony sniggering off to the side.

"Your total is $34.27."

Bruce reached in his pocket for his wallet and felt an arm reach around his waist.

"Don't worry about it Brucey, I'll pay for it." Tony purred in his ear. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"Tony, knock it off." He tried to shove the other man off him, though it seemed to have the opposite effect as Tony's hold increased. "We're _not_ really." He explained, though he knew it was futile considering how embarrassed he was, along with how calmly Tony was acting with the whole situation.

Stark held his hand up to speak to the cashier more indiscreetly, though Bruce could hear every word clear as day, "He's still really shy about people knowing."

The cashier gave him a sad smile, "Oh you shouldn't be, I know lots of support groups if you want their information." She ducked below momentarily and emerged with 3 brightly coloured flyers.

Tony shushed Bruce's attempt to speak, "Sounds great!" He grabbed the flyers, paid for the groceries, and was guiding Banner out the door by the waist in a manner of seconds.

As soon as they were out on the street, he released his iron grip (no pun intended), no longer being able to contain his laughter.

"Don't do that again!" Bruce squirmed his way out of Tony's reach, he didn't care that his cheeks were most likely permanently red. "And give me those." He snatched the flyers out of Tony's hands and tore them up.

"Hey, we might need those." Tony batted his eyelashes and snorted. "I'm just kidding." He patted Bruce on the shoulder. "You have to admit, that was funny. She totally thought you were closet gay."

"Yeah, and she thought you were openly gay." Bruce countered.

"Bruce, everyone thinks I'm gay. What do you think I was reading back there?" Tony smirked and turned back to where the car was parked. He stopped and quirked his head to the side. "Uhh...where's the car?" He walked out on the street and looked up and down.

Banner sighed and looked up at the 'no parking' sign again. "I told you we couldn't park here." He looked down at Tony with a blank stare and turned back in the direction the tower was located.

"But we weren't even parked out here that long!" Tony shuffled the bags into one hand and pulled out his cellphone. "Ok maybe we were...but still!" He shoved the phone in his pocket and jogged up to where Bruce was. "Wanna call a cab or something?"

"Tony we're only a few blocks away from the tower." Tony just raised an eyebrow in response. "We'll walk." He began to lead the way down the street, listening to whispers of complaint come from behind him.

* * *

Later that night, after the two had made it back to the tower and endured the nonstop questioning of Natasha and Clint, Tony and Bruce managed to escape back to Tony's room.

"Geez I thought she'd never shut up." Tony said as he closed the door behind him. His shoulders slumped down in exhaustion.

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way." Bruce said dryly and made his way over to the couch. He sat down with a sigh of exasperation.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stark feigned innocence and leaned back against the door.

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "Uh, huh, I'm sure..._'We wouldn't have been gone so long if Bruce hadn't of talked to the cashier about therapy sessions for closet gays. Want a papaya?'_" He crossed his arms.

Tony smirked and nodded his head in approval, "That _was_ a good one you have to admit." He sauntered over to the couch and flopped himself down next to the scientist.

Banner tried to bite back a smile. "Just don't do that again."

"No promises." Tony winked and relaxed his head against the sofa. The two fell into a companionable silence.

Bruce closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment of peace. He could feel his heart beating at a steady rhythm and focused on his breathing yet again. He'd grown so accustomed to his own nightly rituals of deep breathing that he briefly forgot he was sharing a room with someone else. That was, of course, until he could feel said someone else boring holes into the side of his head.

Bruce peeked one eye open and looked sideways at Tony. "What?" He asked rather gracelessly.

Tony shook his head, "Nothing. It's just..." He squinted his eyes in a more calculating way, "You make it look so easy. All that guru stuff. For a second it looked like you stopped breathing altogether." He shrugged, his eyes doing a once over of Bruce.

The scientist couldn't stop the blush from creeping up. _Again_. He internally sighed in annoyance at his body. Especially when Tony's eyes just happened to flick up in time to see said blush, a glint of amusement following suit.

Banner looked away, his stomach deciding to do hurdles as he felt his cheeks grow hotter. He could sense the smirk on Tony's lips without having to see it.

Fortunately for him, though, Stark said nothing and let his head plop back against the sofa. He stretched his arms out, making small noises that made Bruce blush even more when he heard them. When Tony relaxed, his arm fell dangerously close to Banner's leg.

Bruce coughed and attempted to inch away unnoticed. Somehow this only fuelled Tony's need to stretch out, and Banner eventually found himself pinned between the armrest of the couch, and Stark's leg. He mentally kicked himself and tried to ignore the pounding in his chest.

Bruce could feel the warmth of Tony's leg seeping into his own. He gulped down a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to focus on something, _anything_, else. Though, admittedly, it was _very_ distracting.

Just when he'd gotten control of his body—as best he could that is—Tony once again interrupted his thoughts, "You're too tense, Banner. Just relax." His breath tickled Bruce's ear causing him to shiver. And when exactly did he get so close?

"I'm fine." Bruce replied very unconvincingly. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke.

"You sure about that?" Tony's voice dropped to a whisper. Bruce tried not to shudder, though his body always did seem to betray him at the worst of times.

"Y-yeah." His breath hitched slightly and his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults on its own accord.

The couch dipped down slightly and Bruce briefly wondered what Tony was doing, though still too nervous to open his eyes and find out. He held his breath slightly, trying to listen more intently on what the other man was doing. After a few moments, curiosity got the better of him and Bruce opened his eyes to find Tony sitting sideways facing him.

He raised an eyebrow, "What're you doing?"

Stark rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, buttercup, I'm not pulling a fast one on you." He reached out and turned Bruce so his back was facing him. "Just trying to get you to relax. You're too wound up, Banner." Bruce tried to twist his neck around and glance back at Tony, but was stopped by the other man's hands. "Nope, you stay there. Got it?"

Bruce gave a hesitant nod and waited. He eventually felt two warm hands lightly grab hold of his shoulders and gently started kneading. He was so caught up in everything, he hardly had time to notice how cramped up his muscles actually were.

He could actually hear Tony smirk that time, "Told'ja you were tense."

Bruce shook his head, "Only because I have to put up with you." He chuckled.

Tony playfully whacked him on the back of the head, "More of that and your complementary massage services will be revoked."

"Services?" Banner smiled to himself and closed his eyes again. "Didn't know I'd be getting multiple instances."

Tony snorted, "Only if you're good. I _did_ just say I might revoke them."

Bruce laughed, "Coming from _you_, that's rich."

The hands stopped their kneading momentarily, "What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

Banner pushed back into Tony, "Nothing, keep going."

"I didn't hear the magic words." Tony drawled out.

Bruce huffed, "Please?"

"Nope that just sounded like _one_ word. I said word_s_, as in plural."

The scientist all but whined, "Come on, Tony, you can't just stop there. _Please_ don't stop." His chest tightened at his own wording, and he hoped Stark wouldn't point it out.

"Fine." He started up the massage again, moving his thumbs in slow circles at the base of Bruce's neck. He smirked at the sound of a muffled groan that escaped Bruce's lips. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Shut up." The other man dropped his head forward to allow more access to the rest of his neck and shoulder area. He could feel the heat radiating off his cheeks by that point, and hoped that it wasn't too noticeable.

"Geez, Banner, never knew you were _this_ tense. When's the last time you got a massage?"

Another low groan was the response he got.

"What was that?"

Bruce barely managed an "I don't know." He felt like putty in the other man's hands, and he found himself leaning back more and more into the touch. Had he been wearing a heart rate monitor, it'd be beeping off the charts.

With each passing second, his mind slowly shut off, until eventually he didn't even notice how he sounded, "_Ah_, go back."

"Where?" Tony asked and moved his hands down.

"A little lower." Bruce breathed.

"How about here?" He put more pressure into his shoulder blades.

Bruce arched his back and let out another moan. His breathing getting more heavy.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tony answered for him. He continued the massage, listening to the many noises he elicited from the smaller man. He maintained a firm hold on Bruce, even as he pushed back until he was practically laying completely against Tony's chest. "Easy there, big guy. Don't get yourself too worked up." He whispered into his ear.

Bruce flushed again, warmth spreading across the entirety of his body. "Sorry." He mumbled and let his head drop back onto Tony's shoulder. He felt the hands move their way around to accommodate for the new position. Bruce could feel Tony shift in his seat behind him, one leg extending out so that he was practically straddling his hips. His heartbeat sped up again. "Um, Tony?"

"Hmm?" Was the nonchalant response he got.

"I, uh..." He swallowed hard, "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing, since you _did_ put us in this position." Tony spoke in his ear again, causing more shivers to run down his spine.

Bruce cursed himself for getting so caught up in the moment, but was content to stay put. He relaxed back onto Tony's chest, feeling the rise and fall of it as he breathed. "Is this ok? For now I mean?"

Tony's answer was to start massaging the sides of Bruce's arms. "Just try not to moan so loud this time, alright Banner?" He smirked as the scientist squeezed his eyes shut. "It's kind of...distracting."

"Oh god, I'm sorry." Bruce apologized and hid his face in the space between Tony's shoulder and the couch. He remained like that for awhile, not wanting to turn back and face Tony directly. Though, fate was on Bruce's side in that moment, after a few minutes his head was beginning to get a more fuzzy feeling.

Banner kept his eyes closed as he rolled his head over into the crook of Tony's neck. He felt a slight pause in the massage before it started up again. He could feel sleep tugging at the back of his mind, a light fog that was descending over him. His body felt heavy, and he found he could barely manage to open his eyelids.

"Tony?" Bruce was just able to murmur.

"Hmm?"

"Can you stay this time?" His speech was slurred as he spoke and he felt the massaging stop altogether at that point. "Please?"

The last thing he remembered before allowing unconsciousness to claim his body, was Tony's voice echo in the back of his mind.

"I'll stay."


	6. Miscommunications

_**Author's Notes: **You thought I forgot about this story, didn't you! Alas! I was just struck with an enormous amount of writers block and didn't know where I wanted the story to go from here! BUT FEAR NOT! There will be more to come! But bear with me, I'm working full time and rarely get a moment to just relax..so if updates aren't as frequent, please be patient! (though I feel bad asking since I DID take nearly half a year to update! D: ) IN ANY CASE: CHAPTER 6! (shorter, because I wanted to at least give you all SOMETHING to read!)_

_**Disclaimer: **Avengers belong to Marvel._

* * *

His body felt heavy—heavier than usual—in fact it was actually somewhat hard to breathe. And was one of his legs asleep? Tony groaned as his eyes slowly peered open, squinting from the morning light. He'd forgotten to close the blinds the previous night. He yawned and tried to stretch, though finding it difficult to move his arms. He blinked a couple of times before looking down.

His vision was met with a mop of dark hair, and he barely managed to hold in a sneeze as a few of the curls tickled his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten before opening them. Nope still there, it wasn't a dream. Bruce Banner was definitely asleep on top of him.

He wracked his brain for an explanation before remembering the goings on from the night before.

He felt his stomach make a slight lurch when he remembered how he'd had the scientist in a ball of goo from the massage. He blushed when he remembered the numerous noises that had spilled from his lips as well.

Tony quietly cleared his throat, getting his brain on track. He glanced back down and realized just what sort of predicament they were both in. Not only was the position suggestive, but he could feel a slight pressure on his lower thigh indicating that _yes_, in fact, it _was_ morning after all. He tried to squirm his way out from under Bruce so they could at least be less tangled up together.

Though, after a few seconds, he realized he was only making the situation worse when he heard a barely audible moan come from the man on top of him.

He mentally kicked himself.

If he couldn't squirm out, he'd have to find another way of getting out. And kind of quick. He really had to pee.

Tony was able to wriggle one arm out and get a firm hold of Bruce's waist. In doing so he was able to pull his body weight up just enough to get one of his legs free. Doing a mental victory dance, Tony scooped up the rest of Bruce and swung his free leg overtop. He was just about to set the scientist down when he heard him stir beneath him. His heart picked up pace and he held his breath. Maybe if he was really still, he'd just go back to the land of unconsciousness. Maybe.

Bruce groaned and blinked a couple of times, his eyes adjusting to the view in front of him. Adrenaline shot through his body and a flush erupted on his cheeks.

Tony seemed to be holding their bodies close in one arm, while the other was supporting his weight, he was straddling his hips, and with their heads so close together he could feel Tony's warm breath tickle his lips.

"Uhh..." Was the only coherent thing Bruce managed to get out before glancing down at their hips, also coming to the realization that it was morning. He was surprised that he hadn't already passed out from the rush of the blood to his head, colouring his cheeks an even darker shade of red.

"This isn't what it looks like." Tony winced at how cliché he sounded. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it kind of is what it looks like, but in reality it's not." He babbled on. "I was just, trying to get up...I have to go to the bathroom." He finished rather lamely.

"I, uh..." Bruce began counting backwards from 100 in his head. "Ok." He took a steadying breath in.

Tony set him down on the couch as gentle as he could, noting the slightly laboured breathing from the man below him. He went to say a witty remark to lighten the mood, but stopped when he also noted the way that Bruce had turned away from him, seeming to ensure that no eye contact could be made.

Once fully off the couch, he meekly made his way to the bathroom, stopping briefly to glance back at the scientist. He felt his stomach drop when he saw the frown reflected on the window.

* * *

Bruce waited until he heard the click of the door shutting before gathering the courage to finally get up. He could still feel the warmth on his chest where they'd been pressed up against each other. His legs felt wobbly as he hurried to leave. He could hear the sound of the toilet flushing from across the room and quietly, but quickly, shut the bedroom door behind him.

He let his forehead fall against the door with a soft _thunk_, allowing himself a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Rough night?"

Bruce jumped at the voice behind him, whipping around to see the Captain standing there. He felt the blush creep up his face, not bothering to try and hide it.

"I, uh..." He cast his eyes down at the floor and shuffled his feet nervously together.

"You ok Banner?" Steve asked him after several seconds passed in silence. He gave Bruce a once over. "You look...tired."

Bruce couldn't help but smile and shake his head, "Tired doesn't even come close." He replied honestly. "But, if you don't mind Cap, I'm just gonna go back to my room." He went to leave after a slight nod in the Captain's direction.

Steve furrowed his brows, placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder to stop him. "If there's anything you need to talk about..." Concern written over his face.

"Thanks, but maybe later." He gave a half hearted smile and then slunk down the hallway and around the corner.

Steve stood waiting a few moments, internally debating on going after the scientist or not, when the door to Tony's room opened.

"Oh hey, Star Spangled...you seen Bruce anywhere? We...uh...I was just looking for him...for stuff." Tony looked up and down the hall, not finding the familiar mop of hair anywhere nearby.

Steve ignored his question, instead fixing him with a scrutinizing glare, "Stark, what did you do this time?"

Tony looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, I saw Bruce come out of your room, and something about him seemed off. So what'd you do?"

"Nothing!" Tony glared back. "Why does everyone always assume I did something.."

"Because you usually do." Steve raised an eyebrow.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What way did he go?"

Steve gave him a questioning look before answering, "He said he was going to his room, but Tony, you might want to give him some space..." Stark nodded and started towards Banner's room. The sinking feeling in his gut still present.

The route to Bruce's room felt longer than normal, his heartbeat gaining speed with each step closer. When he finally was standing in front of the familiar bedroom door he hesitated, hearing muffled voices talking inside. He stood closer, leaning in to hear more of the conversation between Bruce, and Mystery Person A.

"..don't know, I think you're just over thinking things." Tony wasn't surprised to hear Natasha's voice on the other side.

"It's a possibility...but I think it'd do me, and _this_.." a pause, "whatever _this_ is, some good if I just went away for a bit." Bruce sighed, Tony imagined him running his fingers through his hair at this point. He frowned to himself at the thought of Bruce leaving.

"Look, Bruce, I know Tony can be...eccentric sometimes, and it doesn't seem like he cares about other people's feelings,"

The sound of Bruce snorting could be faintly heard.

Natasha kept on, despite the interruption, "But take it from me, I've never seen him act the way he does when he's around you."

"I don't—" _THWACK_! "Ow! Hey!"

"Don't _'I don't know'_ me! And don't give me that look, I know that's what you were going to say.."

"Ok, ok..maybe you're right."

"There is no _maybe_ about this. I'm always right." Natasha muttered.

"Either way, I still think I should go." Bruce said with finality,

Tony's stomach dropped. Bruce was leaving? Where was he going? _Why_ was he going? He didn't want to listen to anymore of the conversation at that point, and instead headed towards the only place he knew would calm his nerves. The lab.

* * *

Natasha sat down on the bed next to Bruce, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Neither aware of one Mr. Stark who had previously been eavesdropping outside just moments prior. "Hey, I know this great Thai restaurant not too far from here if you want to go. It's about a 25 minute walk, might help ease your mind."

"Yeah, sure, just let me take a shower real quick."

"Kay, I'll go tell Clint where I'll be. You gonna tell Tony you'll be out of the lab for the day?"

"Yeah, I guess I should, we were both planning on working on some new prototypes for the Suit today." He stood up and stretched out his neck. "I think I slept on my neck all weird." He said as he massaged one of the knots.

"Well you two were in quite the position last night, so it's not too surprising." Nat smirked.

Bruce's face flushed instantly, "How did you?.."

"Come on, Bruce, don't think Clint and I can maneuver our way through JARVIS's security systems? Who knew Tony had so many security cameras installed." She winked as she left the room.

Banner stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before finally going to the bathroom to take a shower. There was definitely a downside to being friends with two of the top spies for S.H.I.E.L.D.

* * *

Bruce fidgeted nervously as he walked down to the lab. He was already feeling uneasy about the goings on of the morning, and adding the fact that he'd be ditching out on work he promised he'd help Tony with didn't help matters.

The scene he arrived to wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting, however.

Tony had the music turned up so high, Bruce could feel every vibration down to the bone practically. Stark was bent over one of the work tables, scribbling something onto one of the many blueprints in front of him. Bruce noted the grease marks smudged over Tony's face and couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips. He walked awkwardly up to the ruffled man before him and cleared his throat.

"Uhm, Tony?" Banner asked timidly, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What?" Stark's reply was curt. Though he did turn down the music enough for them to talk, Bruce gave him that.

Bruce frowned. "I just wanted to tell you I won't be able to help you with the prototype. I was—"

"It's alright, I already finished it." Tony interrupted and pointed over to the newly upgraded Iron Man suit.

"Oh.." Bruce tried to ignore the pang in his chest. "Ok."

Tony went back to work, seeming to ignore Bruce's very presence in the room altogether. "Did you need anything else, before you go?"

The pang in his chest slowly turned into a fiery feeling in the pit of his stomach. He clenched his fists, shoulders stiffening. "No. No, I guess not." Banner turned to leave, eyebrows drawing together as he glared at the floor. What was with the attitude? Seriously...

"Close the door behind you, when you leave." Stark called after him, not bothering to look up from his station, an air of finality about him.

Banner paused momentarily, thrown off by the brashness of the comment. "Sometimes I wonder _why_ I even try with you, Stark." He started towards the exit again, slamming the door behind him as he left.

Tony winced, still not managing to look up from his work. It wasn't until a full 10 minutes passed by before he finally glanced to where the scientist once stood. He took in the cracks on the wall, not surprised that even in his human form, Bruce was still fully capable of using the same amount of strength as the Hulk when angered.

The only sound was the music Tony had all but stopped listening to. Even with all the gadgets, and multiple work stations throughout the room, the lab suddenly felt empty and bleak.

Stark swallowed the lump in his throat, returning back to blueprints in front of him. If there was one thing he excelled at, it was ignoring a problem until it finally went away or was forgotten about.

He turned up the volume and allowed the sounds of classic rock to tune out the voice of reason inside his head. The one that told him to run back after the scientist and apologize. His pride getting the better of him, Tony clenched his fists and kept his focus fixated on anything and everything else.

If Bruce was going to leave, then he'd be damned if he let it get to him.


End file.
